Ball Star's Monday morning power rankings: Week VII

Every Monday morning, a look at the top dozen teams in baseball ... and the best of the rest.

On to the rankings…Ranking | Team | Record | Last Week1 Texas Rangers (26-16) (1)It’s May 21, and Josh Hamilton still has a healthy lead in all three Triple Crown categories. He’s batting .389 (Paul Konerko is second with .367), has 18 homers (Adam Dunn and Adam Jones have 14) and has lapped the league with 47 RBIs (13 more than anyone else). 2 Atlanta Braves (26-16) (3)Braves ace Brandon Beachy has allowed just eight earned runs in 54 innings over eight starts (1.33 ERA).3Tampa Bay Rays (25-17) (2)Rich Thompson had a cup of coffee with the Royals nearly eight years ago… and now he’s back in the big leagues in one of the coolest baseball stories this year. 4 Los Angeles Dodgers (28-13) (6)LA’s Scott Van Slyke, son of former Cardinal Andy Van Slyke, hit a decisive homer on Sunday against St. Louis. Stat of the day: The Dodgers have five major-league legacies on their team, including Dee Gordon (son of former Royal Tom Gordon). 5. Washington Nationals (24-17) (5)It’s supposedly a minor problem. But when you hear the words “tired arm” and “Stephen Strasburg” in the same sentence, it’s generally a concern. 6 St. Louis Cardinals (22-19) (4)This may provide a small window for the other teams in the NL Central: St. Louis’ Lance Berkman may have torn his ACL on Sunday. If that’s the case, what does it mean for the rest of his career?7 Baltimore Orioles (27-15) (7)Orioles center fielder Adam Jones looks like a safe bet to be back in Kansas City for the All-Star Game in July. 8 Toronto Blue Jays (23-19) (9)Brett Lawrie's blowup and suspension have dominated conversation, but Edwin Encarnacion is OPS’ing close to .900 with 13 homers. 9 New York Yankees (21-20) (8)The Red Sox’ struggles have gained the most attention, but the Yankees, who begin a three-game series with the Royals tonight, haven’t been much better. 10 Cleveland Indians (23-18) (11) Indians starter Derek Lowe has posted a 2.15 ERA, just a tick behind AL leader Justin Verlander (2.14). 11Miami Marlins (22-19) (10)The Marlins have righted the ship after a slow start. But can they keep up with Washington or Atlanta in the NL East? 12 Cincinnati Reds (21-19) (12)First baseman Joey Votto is second in the Nationa League with a .455 on-base percentage. The best of the rest:13 Boston Red Sox (20-21) (15)14 San Francisco Giants (21-20) (14)15 Detroit Tigers (20-21) (13)16 Philadelphia Phillies (21-21) (16)17 Chicago White Sox (21-21) (21)18 Arizona Diamondbacks (19-23) (18)19 New York Mets (22-19) (19)20 Los Angeles Angels (18-24) (20) 21 Oakland A’s (21-21) (22) 22 Houston Astros (18-23) (17)23 Milwaukee Brewers (17-24) (23)24 Seattle Mariners (19-24) (24)25 Kansas City Royals (16-24) (26)26 Pittsburgh Pirates (19-22) (25)27 Colorado Rockies (15-25) (27)28 San Diego Padres (16-26) (29)29 Chicago Cubs (15-26) (27) 30 Minnesota Twins (14-27) (30)| rdodd@kcstar.com